Friday, June 29, 2007

We all recognize the many positive effects that exercise has on the body but did you know that regular physical activity can benefit brain mechanisms?

Research carried out by neurologists at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York earlier this year has found that just as exercise improves muscle tone and function in the body, it can also boost brain power by building new brain cells in a brain region linked with learning and memory.

And according to the research findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, what’s good for our hearts and waistlines also is good for our minds. MRI scans of the brains of 11 healthy adults were assessed before and after they embarked upon a three-month aerobic exercise regime and it was found that exercise generated increased blood flow to the brain and the more fit a person became, the more blood flow the MRI detected.

So what's good for the goose is also good for the gander. Kids too need that physical activity break to get the blood flowing throughout the body and throughout the brain. The key to keeping our brains and bodies in tiptop condition is by getting up and active.